"Certainly wasn't [the best news on Saturday]," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We got a phone call [after Souza's hand was X-rayed] that it is a fractured hand. Four to six weeks. Obviously not an ideal thing for us or him, because his at-bats are crucial right now. But he's going to go back to Tampa, probably get re-evaluated there in two or three weeks and we'll go from there."

Moore struggles early as Rays fall in Boston

8/1/15: Logan Forsythe hits a bases-loaded single into center field to plate Steven Souza Jr. and Evan Longoria in the 4th inning

By Ian Browne and Bill Chastain
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MLB.com |

BOSTON -- Travis Shaw celebrated his fifth callup this season from Triple-A Pawtucket with a monster day, going 4-for-4 with two homers, a double and five runs scored to lead the Red Sox to an 11-7 victory over the Rays on Saturday at Fenway Park.

Xander Bogaerts notched four hits in a game for the fifth time this season and drove in three. Rusney Castillo added three hits and three RBIs on a day the Red Sox had 16 hits.

"Grady Sizemore, brought him back up," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Mikie, he was optioned as we talked about yesterday. Mikie did a good job. But excited to have Grady back. That was a tough decision a couple of weeks ago to send him down. We just like the veteran presence, and when he's hitting, he seems to always give good at-bats. We're excited to have him back."

BOSTON -- Drew Smyly and Desmond Jennings continued to make progress Friday night in their bids to return to the Rays from the disabled list.

Smyly (torn left labrum) made his second start on his rehab assignment, earning a no-decision in Class A Advanced Charlotte's 9-7 loss at Lakeland. The left-hander allowed five runs on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings, striking out four and surrendering a home run.

Rays drop back-and-forth opener in Boston

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Souza's RBI single 0:46

7/31/15: Steven Souza Jr. beats out an infield single on a ground ball to third, driving in a run in the 2nd

By Ian Browne and Bill Chastain
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MLB.com |

BOSTON -- Mike Napoli clocked a go-ahead two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh that just cleared the Green Monster to lift the Red Sox to a 7-5 victory over the Rays on Friday night at Fenway Park.

"We added two young pitchers to our system," said Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman. "Two arms that we like. We always like to have pitching depth and pitching talent. And that was a key motivator in this deal."

BOSTON -- No Major League talent joined the Rays by the time the non-waiver Trade Deadline passed at 4 p.m. ET on Friday.

The final tally saw the Rays ship David DeJesus to the Angels for Minor League pitcher Eduar Lopez on Tuesday before sending Kevin Jepsen to the Twins for Minor League right-handers Alexis Tapia and Chih-Wei Hu on Friday.

McGee's rare hiccup costs Rays vs. Red Sox

BOSTON -- Jake McGee and David Ortiz have had many battles. Overpowering left-hander vs. a left-handed slugger, a timeless baseball classic.

The percentages fall heavily in favor of the left-hander who throws 97 mph. But that's not how their battle turned out Friday night. Though epic, Ortiz came away the winner, and his triumph in a protracted at-bat came back to bite McGee in the Rays' 7-5 loss to the Red Sox.

Outfielder summoned for one game; catcher Wilson claimed off waivers by Rangers

BOSTON -- The Rays' roster saw a lot of activity on Friday, the day that also saw Major League Baseball's non-waiver Trade Deadline pass. Bobby Wilson, who was recalled from Triple-A Durham for Wednesday's game against the Tigers, was designated for assignment on Thursday. The Rangers then claimed the veteran catcher off waivers.

To replace Wilson's spot on the roster, the Rays recalled outfielder Mikie Mahtook from Durham. And Mahtook's fourth stint with the team proved to be a brief one. He played left field Friday night, went 2-for-4 with an RBI, a double and two runs, then got optioned back to Durham after the Rays' 7-5 loss to the Red Sox. The Rays will make a corresponding move prior to Saturday afternoon's game.

Archer flirts with perfecto, but Rays fall

7/29/15: Chris Archer strikes out Anthony Gose swinging for his 18th consecutive out to start the ballgame

By Bill Chastain and Jason Beck
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MLB.com |

ST. PETERSBURG -- Chris Archer's bid for a perfect game fell short Wednesday afternoon, and so did the Rays' bid to earn a three-game sweep, as the Tigers won, 2-1, at Tropicana Field.

Trailing 1-0 and facing the prospect of an Archer perfect game, the Tigers scored two unearned runs in the seventh after Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera booted what appeared to be a sure double-play ball with one out in the inning. J.D. Martinez and Nick Castellanos followed with RBI singles to put Detroit up, 2-1.

Kiermaier's highlight-reel grab backs Archer

7/29/15: Statcast tracks the route efficiency and top speed of Kevin Kiermaier's great grab to rob James McCann of a hit

By Troy Provost-Heron
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MLB.com |

ST. PETERSBURG -- Kevin Kiermaier has always been able to cover a lot of ground, but in the sixth inning of the Rays' 2-1 loss to the Tigers on Wednesday, Tampa Bay's center fielder used his speed in the field in an effort to maintain perfection.

When Detroit catcher James McCann stepped to the plate in the sixth, Chris Archer had retired the first 16 batters he faced. But on a 3-2 slider, McCann jolted one to deep center, and Kiermaier responded by making a beeline toward the wall.

Troy Provost-Heron is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Goeddel smashes three solo shots for Biscuits

Rays No. 25 prospect records his second career multi-homer game in Double-A Montgomery's win

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Top Prospects: Goeddel, TB 0:51

2015 MLB.com Top Prospects: Tyler Goeddel had his best season in the professional ranks last year, with a loose, line-drive swing

By Alex M. Smith
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MLB.com |

Tyler Goeddel had his second career multi-homer game by the sixth inning of Double-A Montgomery's 4-3 win over Tennessee on Thursday, but he wasn't done.

The Rays' No. 25 prospect on the newly updated Top 30 list smacked his third home run of the night in the eighth inning, giving the Biscuits a one-run lead they would not relinquish. He finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

Rays call up catcher Wilson from Triple-A Durham

6/7/15: Chris Archer strikes out Seth Smith and Bobby Wilson catches Austin Jackson stealing second for an inning-ending double play

By Troy Provost-Heron
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MLB.com |

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays have called up catcher Bobby Wilson from Triple-A Durham to fill the vacant roster spot left behind after outfielder David DeJesus was traded to the Angels on Tuesday.

The move places a third catcher on Tampa Bay's roster to give the club "some options" with Rene Rivera starting at catcher for the first time since Friday, and Curt Casali remaining in the lineup as the designated hitter.

Casali's 2nd straight multi-HR game leads Rays

7/28/15: Curt Casali goes deep off of David Price for the second time of the game, giving him four home runs in his last two games

By Jason Beck and Troy Provost-Heron
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MLB.com |

ST. PETERSBURG -- Curt Casali homered twice for the Rays again Tuesday to propel Tampa Bay to a 10-2 victory over the Tigers at Tropicana Field.

Casali's first home run of the night was a two-run shot in the fourth that extended the Rays' lead to 4-1 after an Asdrubal Cabrera RBI double broke a 1-1 tie the at-bat before. Two innings later, the catcher accomplished a rare feat by smacking a solo home run to give him back-to-back multi-home run games. Evan Longoria added a home run of his own in the eighth to spark a five-run inning.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog, follow him on Twitter @beckjason and listen to his podcast.
Troy Provost-Heron is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman took a proactive approach to an approaching logjam by trading David DeJesus to the Angels before Tuesday's 10-2 win over the Tigers for Eduar Lopez, a 20-year-old Minor League right-hander.

"Given our team's improving health, the opportunity for David was a little more limited," Silverman said. "We were challenged to find at-bats for him. Especially given [Desmond] Jennings' potential return in a couple of weeks."

Outfielder heads to Angels while Tampa Bay gets 20-year-old righty

ST. PETERSBURG -- David DeJesus went to Spring Training in February thinking he would be traded before the start of the regular season. Before Tuesday's 10-2 Rays win, the inevitable finally came to fruition when they traded the veteran outfielder to the Angels for Minor League right-hander Eduar Lopez.

"Totally [surprised]," DeJesus said. "I was just eating with [Joey] Butler, getting some hummus in, and then [bench coach Tom] Foley came over. I was like, it's one of those 'he gone.'"

ST. PETERSBURG -- Since June the Rays have been talking about players returning from the disabled list giving the team a feeling like they acquired a key piece in a Trade Deadline deal.

Count Desmond Jennings in that category. The Rays' outfielder played in just 18 games before going on the DL on May 3 with left knee bursitis, which eventually mandated a clean-up surgery. When he's healthy and playing well, Jennings can be a force on offense.

Battery sparks Rays as Casali homers twice

7/27/15: Curt Casali goes deep twice against the Tigers with a solo homer in the 3rd inning and a two-run shot in the 8th

By Bill Chastain and Jason Beck
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MLB.com |

ST. PETERSBURG -- Curt Casali powered the Rays with two home runs to lead a 5-2 win over the Tigers on Monday night at Tropicana Field.

Casali homered off Anibal Sanchez on the first pitch of the third inning to give the Rays a 1-0 lead. Kevin Kiermaier added an RBI double in the fourth and Logan Forsythe singled home a run in the fifth to put the Rays up, 3-0.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Friday's non-waiver Trade Deadline is fast approaching, meaning a lot of names are being tossed around the rumor mill. The idea of getting traded can be unsettling, but several Rays players who have been mentioned in trade rumors did not seem to be fazed by the situation.

Reliever Kevin Jepsen said he'd never experienced rumors about being involved in a trade until right before he was dealt to Tampa Bay this past offseason.

Rays, Smyly 'encouraged' by rehab start

7/25/15: The Rays broadcast provides an injury update on Drew Smyly and when fans can expect him back on the mound

By Troy Provost-Heron
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MLB.com |

ST. PETERSBURG -- Left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly made his first rehab start at Triple-A Durham on Sunday as he tries to return to the Rays rotation after landing on the disabled list May 9 with a torn labrum.

On paper, Smyly's return to the mound did not show much promise, as he allowed four runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three over 2 1/3 innings. For Tampa Bay, though, the 26-year-old's 51 pitches were encouraging.

Souza Jr. laments lost chances vs. Orioles

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Chen strikes out Souza Jr. 0:26

7/26/15: Wei-Yin Chen strikes out Steven Souza Jr. with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 5th inning

By Troy Provost-Heron
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MLB.com |

ST. PETERSBURG -- When the Rays dropped Sunday's contest to the Orioles, 5-2, marking their 21st loss in their last 30 games and their eighth series loss in their last nine, it was not due to lack of opportunities.

After Evan Longoria and Logan Forsythe slugged back-to-back home runs for the team's first hits of the game in the fourth inning, the Rays managed to consistently put runners on base.